Minnesota Medical Association
2012 Legislative Priorities
Here are some of the MMA's top legislative priorities:
With rates of skin cancer growing and evidence of the link to artificial UV exposure clear, Minnesota should treat this dangerous carcinogen just as we do tobacco and prohibit minors from using artificial tanning facilities.
A Minnesota-made health insurance exchange will reflect our state’s unique health care landscape, strengths, and patient needs better than one imposed by the federal government.
Physicians and other providers are pleased that the provider tax will be reduced and ultimately abolished and call on legislators to preserve the phase-out and repeal.
The Peer Grouping program offers a unique opportunity to dramatically expand the amount of information and research available about health care delivery, costs, and utilization in Minnesota. In its current form, however, the provider peer grouping program is unachievable. The MMA strongly supports changes to the program to align the available data set with well-established and proven techniques for population-based, small area analysis, similar to that incorporated in the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care.
Investment in the next generation of Minnesota’s physicians is critical to ensure we have the workforce needed to provide care. Teaching facilities are facing potential cuts to residency slots, threatening the future of the physician workforce. Funding for programs such as Medical Education and Research Costs (MERC) and loan forgiveness programs is needed to ensure that Minnesota’s next generation of physicians receive the training they need to care for Minnesotans in the future.